Making Puff Pastry Donuts Is Easy With This Mad Genius Tip

Since first sweeping the world a few years ago, the croissant/donut fusion of the cronut has gone on to become a regular part of fancy bakeries’ dessert rotation. But what about in kitchens at home? In the latest Mad Genius Tips, Food & Wine culinary director Justin Chapple is here to help, with a surprisingly simple yet powerfully effective walkthrough on how to make your own easy puff pastry donuts.

In fact, he says, these are “some of the easiest donuts you’re ever going to make,” even as they reach dessert heights you may never have thought possible outside of a professional kitchen. Sound too good to be true? Just try it for yourself. The key is puff pastry, as Chapple demonstrates. Simply roll it out on a work surface, and stamp out ring shapes via cookie cutter. This adds an extra bonus: the circle left inside the ring gives you a donut (cronut?) hole to go along with each doughnut.

Once they’re all out, it’s time to fry. Chapple drops them in a big pot of hot oil, recommending vegetable oil, canola oil, or anything mild. To cook perfectly, make sure the oil is at 360 degrees. Because once they’re in, the flat rings of puff pastry will live up to their name and puff right out, as you can see in the video. Why? Because, as Chapple explains, puff pastry contains hundreds and hundreds of layers of butter with its folds, so when the butter hits the hot oil, it expands, causing the whole thing to blow up.

You’ll know they’re ready when the donuts are golden and puffed up, and really, Chapple says, when they already look delicious. Then it’s time to transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool. After that, just coat with whatever you like. (We like cinnamon sugar.) Either enjoy your easy, delicious, DIY cronuts while they’re hot, or save them for later to impress your friends.

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